A few months had passed since that incident—Orbis, the doors, the message—yet none of us had answers. What we did have was a life to survive in this new world.meanwhile the pack had accepted kai fully, letting us mingle among them as if we had been born wolves.
I noticed something strange early on: floating titles hovered faintly above their heads, just like in a game.
My father, the Alpha, carried the title [Shadow Wolf — LV ??].
Other adult wolves only displayed [Wolf — LV ??].
That's when I realized the rule:
The stronger the opponent, the less information we receive.
Bruno kept pestering Father to let us join the hunts, but for now our job was simple—watch over the newborn pups and guard the den from intruders. Low in the hierarchy, yes, but we were still alpha offspring. We had food, safety, warmth.
Raw meat bothered me at first… but hunger wins all arguments.
Life in the pack had a simple structure. Pups grew into young wolves, young wolves guarded the pups, and the older members taught us the ways of the wilderness. Every wolf had a mate. Every pup had guardians. The system worked.
With little danger around, I focused on training.
First, I tried climbing trees. I fell 214 times. On my 215th attempt, I finally reached the lowest branch.
Then I ran—again and again—to build stamina and speed.
When exhaustion finally knocked me flat, a notice blinked across my vision:
[ Stamina +2 ]
[ Agility +1 ]
That small progress pushed me forward.
---
1 Year, 2 Months Later
I had grown—stronger, faster, more aware. Today was the day we finally joined the hunt.
Bruno practically vibrated with excitement. I, on the other hand, wanted to observe… to understand how wolves hunted as a pack.
We moved through the trees until Father raised his tail—signal to halt.
Ahead stood a Light Deer. Its white fur shimmered like moonlight, and its antlers were long, sharp, and elegant. Behind it grazed a herd of regular deer.
Mother and two others circled silently.
Then it happened in a flash:
Mother's claws crackled with lightning,
Father split into several shadow clones,
The herd panicked and bolted—unfortunately straight toward our position.
In minutes, three deer were down. The Light Deer escaped.
As we ate, a deep, unnatural roar rolled across the forest floor. Father howled—retreat. The pack fled immediately.
But curiosity… curiosity held me in place.
I climbed a tree—higher, higher—until the branches trembled beneath me.
That's when it appeared.
A massive lion, its mane shimmering like frozen crystals. Wherever it stepped, frost spread in a spiderweb of ice across the ground.
[ Ice Lion — LV ?? ]
My chest locked. If I moved, I would die.
It sniffed the carcass, grabbed one of the dead deer, and left as silently as it came. Only when the frost stopped spreading did I dare breathe.
I dropped from the tree carefully.
But I wasn't alone.
A large Direwolf stood a few meters away. Alone—unusual for its kind. It must've been drawn by the same scent.
It saw me.
Then—like I wasn't worth the trouble—it looked away.
That irritated me.
I stepped forward, lowering my body, baring my teeth, growling in challenge.
If it wanted to ignore me, fine.
But I wasn't backing down.
He was taking me lightly.
The Direwolf's posture shifted—bigger, broader, eyes glaring down at me with annoyance more than danger.
That made something snap inside me.
I charged.
He didn't expect that. His eyes widened for a split second before he dodged cleanly to the right. His jaws snapped toward my neck, razor-sharp, and I barely twisted out of the way. I think he expected me to dodge—because his front claws were already sweeping toward me.
They tore across my back.
Pain exploded like fire.
Think, Victor… think.
I was human once. Wolves fight with instinct—but humans? We adapt.
Then the idea hit me.
I sprinted to the side—toward the deer carcass. He probably thought I was fleeing blindly because of the trees ahead. I grabbed the meat in my jaws without stopping and made a wide oval turn.
I heard him gaining on me fast.
Good.
At the last moment, I did something he never expected, not from a young wolf, not from anyone except a leopard—
I climbed a tree.
Fast.
Meat in my mouth.
I hauled the carcass onto a branch and wedged it into a safe angle, then—
I howled.
The Direwolf froze below. The look on his face… absolute terror.
I hadn't howled earlier because I feared the Ice Lion might hear and return. But now?
I was in the trees. Safe.
He wasn't.
He spun around and bolted into the forest without hesitation.
I waited… listened… and only climbed down once the air settled. The lion was long gone. I realized then it had taken two deer for itself.
I ate until I was full, then kicked the remains down. A massive deer carcass thumped onto the ground just as the pack arrived. My father, mother, Bruno, and the others didn't even look at me first—they ran straight for the meat.
---
// Kai //
"Ooh! I'm okay, thanks for asking."
Today, I wanted to explore farther—hopefully far away from that Direwolf. I wandered through the forest for a long stretch, learning the terrain. Eventually, I reached an open field full of rabbits.
Still full from the deer, I stayed hidden. My fur helped me blend perfectly into the branches. With nothing moving around me—not even insects—I relaxed… and dozed off.
When I woke, night had fallen.
Far in the distance, lights flickered.
A human settlement.
My heart fluttered, but I forced myself to stay put. Night was when monsters hunted. Curiosity wasn't worth dying for.
I slept until dawn.
With the sun up, the forest felt safer. I scanned the area—and spotted a horned rabbit under my tree. Instinct kicked in.
I leapt.
One bite, one strike, and it was over.
A notification appeared:
[ First Kill! — "Chart Open" ]
I climbed the tree with the rabbit and settled on a branch to eat. Then I opened the chart.
---
[ Lesser Wolf > Kai ]
BODY
• Stamina — 25
• Strength — 14
• Speed — 30
• Intelligence — 285
ABILITY
• Tree Climber
EVOLUTION OPTIONS
× Dire Wolf
A wolf with immense physical strength and heightened senses.
Chance: 65%
× Dragon Wolf
Born from killing a dragon or consuming its liver, heart, or kidneys.
Chance: 0.001%
× Elemental Wolf
Wolves attuned to elements—shadow, light, ice, fire, air, earth, water.
Occurs after absorbing an elemental seed or killing an elemental user.
Chance: 5%
---
Reading the chart, reality hit me hard:
I had no chance against that Direwolf. I survived through luck, not strength.
After finishing my meal, I headed back toward the pack.
Back home.
---